Sustainable Funding Strategy Consultant(s)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Sustainable Funding Strategy

Introduction:

The Ombuds Office for SOS Children’s Villages (the “Ombuds Office”) is an independent office that confidentially, impartially, and informally listens to anyone who has questions or concerns related to the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person within SOS Children’s Villages programmes and services, past or present, and helps them find solutions. The Ombuds Office identifies risks, themes, and gaps that hinder safety and wellbeing, and works in collaboration with SOS Children’s Villages to strengthen safe environments for children and young people across its programmes and services.

There are many situations that hinder children and young people with questions and concerns about their safety and wellbeing (or that of others) from speaking out and seeking appropriate help. Distrust, power imbalances, fear, vulnerabilities, threats, and negative experiences with formal channels are just a few of the possible barriers. To encourage dialogue and prevent issues from escalating, the Ombuds Office provides:

• A confidential and impartial listening ear for questions or concerns related to children and young people in SOS Children's Villages programmes and services, past or present.
• An independent, trusted navigator to help find solutions.
• Consultative support to SOS Children's Villages, who work to ensure children and young people's safety and wellbeing in all programmes and services.

Approach and Context:

The Ombuds Office for SOS Children’s Villages is virtual in nature, and supported by a team geographically scattered across different countries and regions, while being supported by a team whose organisational structure mirrors that of SOS CV (with an integration at IO, IOR and MA levels). The Ombuds Office for SOS Children’s Villages has piloted its approach in three countries and has gradually expanded its presence to reach more than 22 countries in 5 different regions of the world where SOS CV operates.

The Global Ombuds Office team is currently composed of 3 coordinators (Office, HR, Finance), 5 Regional Ombuds and 1 Global Ombuds, all of them operating within the GSC (at IO or IOR level) who contracts them. The Global Office is currently resourced (HR and operational costs) via a 5-year funding agreement covering the period 2023-2027.

Unlike the Global Office, the implementation of the Ombuds approach at national level is not secured via a multi-annual funding source and differs depending on the situation and context of each individual Member Association, their funding model and capacities which is often linked to their specific financial status within the Federation of SOS CV.

A lot of lessons have been learned throughout the piloting phase and the Ombuds Office entered in a second stage of its development, scaling up its organizational ombuds model to all countries where SOS CV operates. The Ombuds Office however currently lacks a clear multi annual strategic funding approach towards the sustainable deployment of its operations at both Global and MA level.

Its funding model currently relies on internal investments: (a) at global office level: a single funding source for the Global Office will last until end of 2027, and (b) at national level multiple - often complex - funding arrangements are made internally within or between different SOS entities  (often privileging an annual funding arrangement vs. a multi-annual one aligned with the national strategy of the national SOS CV Member Association.

The help of a strategic funding consultant is therefore sought after to support the Ombuds Office move towards a sustainable and diversified funding model, especially for the post 2027 period,  aligned with its operational needs, at both global office and national office levels with the creation of a sustainable funding strategy (and associated tools). The strategy should be based on a thorough mapping of global and regional stakeholders and initiatives that are likely to support financially the operations of the Ombuds Office (with a full-fledged “standard” project proposal template also developed covering the majority of the various requirements of the funding partners identified during the mapping).

The contribution of the consultant(s) would come at a timely moment and would ideally align with the work currently being planned to design an Ombuds Office strategy 2025-2027, with which the sustainable funding strategy should align, which it should also complement. The work (fully remote) of the consultant/consultancy team is forecasted to start (ideally) on September and the expected outputs and timeline are outlined below.

Expected Outcomes and Deliverables

Outcome 1: The Ombuds Office has clear knowledge of relevant funding stakeholders, opportunities (e.g. institutional donors, corporate donors and foundations, etc.) and initiatives (consortia of donors; special funding schemes, etc.) for which its operations are eligible or would otherwise be of interest to them, with a focus put funding for social innovation.

Outcome 2: The Ombuds Office can rely on a clear sustainable funding strategy to resource both its global office and the operations of national ombuds at MA level, aligned with its overall strategic axis of intervention/needs, including standardised tools aligned with the requirements of identified donors.

Expected outputs:

• One final mapping of funding stakeholders and initiatives
• One sustainable funding strategy
• One standardised project application template

Timeline:

Start of consultancy: September 1^st

Mapping: 30 September 2025

Strategy: 31 October 2025

Standardised Project Application Template: 31  October 2025

How to Apply?

Please send an application package consisting of:

• Consultant profile(s) with CV(s) of the consultant/team of consultants involved
• A concept note detailing the approach that the consultant(s) will take with regard to their proposed approach towards reaching the expected outcomes of the initiative
• A financial offer consisting of a single price offer (inclusive of all taxes that might be incurred by the Ombuds Office for SOS Children Villages). It is anticipated that this consultancy assignment should not require more than 25 working days in total.

The application package should be sent electronically to Mr Dominik Hirth (dominik.hirth@ombuds-sos-cv.org) by Monday, 15^th August 2025 (11:59PM CET).

Please note that selected consutant(s) will need to be able to invoice. For that purposes, an extract from the chamber of commerce where the company operates and a bank confirmation (letter issued by the bank, or bank letter head, confirming the bank account listed belongs to the company/person) will be asked after recruitment.